Begin again…again
Begin again…again
The current job market has left hundreds of thousands of women without stable employment over the past several years. In 2025 alone, over 455,000 women exited the U.S. workforce in the first eight months, with 42% of that loss coming from layoffs and the rest driven by burnout, caregiving demands, and job insecurity. [Forbes]
As women, we were affected by more than our share of job market chaos, even before 2025 crushed us a bit flatter. Black women saw their employment rate drop 1.4 percentage points to 55.7%, the sharpest decline in 25 years, especially among college graduates and public-sector workers hit by federal cuts. [epi]
Moms with littles felt additional pressure when nearly 3% of mothers with young children exited the workforce. Not all the exits were voluntary and even the ones that left by choice may not have actually had much choice. This was the biggest drop in 40 years, and it happened while childcare costs were skyrocketing, and corporations were clamoring to get teams back in the office creating impossible conditions for working moms who thrived with the flexibility that came to workplaces during and post COVID.[Forbes]
Only 184,000 women were added to the US workforce by the end of 2025 – compared to 572,000 men. [Forbes] So, what’s a girl to do? As usual, we figured it out. When we recognized traditional structures weren’t going to work for us, we started doing our own thing, our own way. Women started 49% of all new U.S. businesses in 2024. I was one of them. That figure is the highest in five years. And we did it because what was happening TO us wasn’t what we wanted. We figured out a better way and got to work.
It wasn’t easy, but I must admit, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. I expected I’d need a ton of money, and a lot of other credentials to be successful. Turns out, 25 years of working for other people, doing a great job, and being open to learning from others who are smarter than me was all I needed to jump in and get started. It seems when outside forces impact the way we operate, women find a way.
AI tools, amazing coaches, small business organizations and networking forums, along with the basic need to earn a living in an environment that was pushing us out sparked opportunity for more of [us] to launch our own path. In 2026 we still earn about 85% of our male counterparts. This doesn’t even include the cost of childcare, commute time, rising gas prices (required for in office attendance), and loss of WFH flexibility – all piled up; forcing us to find ways to make work work.
Our experience and expertise – along with creative problem solving, opened us up to deliver specialized services in a way that worked better for us in this moment. Knowing women get paid less, are more significantly impacted by the cost of childcare, only get ~3% of venture capital investments, and face higher loan rejections means we still have work to do. The call for better support and more options for childcare & eldercare still rings true. But I know this won’t stop us from figuring it out, because we’ve always done so.
The upside is women are some of the most resilient beings out there. We’re also big on bringing others along for the ride, once we’ve found the path that works. This has – at least for me - proven true. If you aren’t feeling the same support – keep looking! The small business community is teaming with talent, advocacy and generosity. You just need to find your people – and have them bring you along.
This is our year, ladies – let’s make it count.
